


Return of the Grinch (1985)

by floatingdreams



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Family Reunions, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 14:16:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21100832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floatingdreams/pseuds/floatingdreams
Summary: El returns back to Hawkins to celebrate Christmas alongside her friends and family. She believed her biggest gift was being reunited with her beloved boyfriend Mike; however, the reappearance of an uninvited guest may be the warmest welcome to her fragile heart.





	Return of the Grinch (1985)

**Author's Note:**

> I know it’s spooky season, but I couldn’t get this Christmas themed father-daughter reunion out of my mind. Enjoy!

*****************************************

A frozen sheet of ice met the bottom of El Hopper’s white converse as she dashed towards a familiar doorway. Her skin prickled with excitement as she glanced over the two story home that withheld her favorite being on this planet. As she skipped and slipped closer towards the mahogany door, she swore she felt her bones begin to sing as she inched closer to him.

Too consumed with joy to stop herself, her hands unmercifully pounded upon the entryway as she begged to be joined with her lover. Her fists did not cease their demands from what she was seeking until she noted that her nimble fingers were now resting upon a warm body.

There, stood at the door in all of his Christmas sweater glory, was her beloved boyfriend. Mike Wheeler’s dimples were glowing and his cheeks were tinted a blossoming shade of pink as his eyes eagerly met the girl of his dreams. 

El reached her hands upward and rested her palms against his face as she whispered breathlessly, “I’m here.”

“Welcome home,” Mike murmured as he placed his hands on her waist, unceremoniously pulling her stunned form against his own.

Their bodies melted into a warm haze of heaven as the two basked in their reunion. Sure, they had just seen one another last month at Thanksgiving, but that didn’t change the fact that their souls had been desperately yearning to be in one another’s presence since the last time they had to part.

Once the two stepped back from their embrace, El glanced up at her lanky boyfriend. She was taking a moment to admire his captivating dark orbs when something placed slightly above his mop of hair caught her attention.

Mike noticed that her eyes had drifted away from him, so he gently bopped her nose and asked, “what are you looking at?”

His girlfriend slyly smiled and lifted her eyebrows, encouraging him to look above where they stood. And when he did, he couldn’t help the grin that stretched across his freckled face.

“Mistletoe. Looks like you have to give me a kiss,” El sassily proclaimed.

Mike leaned in closely, his breath ghosting across her face as he stated, “well, we can’t break the holiday tradition.”

Then, without wasting a second, their lips crashed into one another’s. Their hands intertwined as they anchored themselves into one; almost as if they needed grounding to believe this level of happiness could ever be achievable. A flurry of colors danced behind their closed eyelids as they basked in the taste and sensation of being together once more. The euphoria that surrounded them felt endless, like an eternal promise.

Yet, as Mike pulled his girlfriend inside of his home, he remained unknowing of what event would occur within the next few hours. As the chilling winter winds picked up, an emotionally unexpected gift awaited the girl he held onto.

*****

El had to periodically force her eyes shut and reopen them to assure what was happening was all a reality. Following a full hour of cuddles and solitude with Mike, she now found herself surrounded by family and friends. Her gaze met briefly with Joyce and Karen’s; the women both looking at her with pride and a hint of sorrow. The two mothers adored watching their children flourish in their relationship, but both women remained heavily saddened by the loss Eleven had to suffer.

And while El’s heart was filled with immense love, she still could not help but to feel a splintered crack within her beating organ. There was a deep, black hole that threatened to consume the light within her life. She had known never-ending loss, and as of now, the only brightness left shining in her world was the family and friends that surrounded her.

Her eyes drifted over towards the vacant La-Z-Boy chair that loitered within the Wheeler’s living room. El stared at it and remembered her first encounter with the chair itself; however, a daunting flick of her irises took her back to a similar chair that rested in her abandoned home. If she squinted hard enough, she could’ve sworn she had seen her father lounging as he watched old westerns. 

“Hey,” El was pulled away from her thoughts when she felt Mike’s thumb swipe away a stray tear beneath her eye, “what’s on your mind, love?”

Her heart fluttered at his concern before she slightly shook her head, “it’s nothing. I’m okay.”

Just as she went to look away, Mike nudged her shoulder, “friends don’t lie, and neither do girlfriends.”

Eleven rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew Mike would not let this go without an honest answer, so she glanced around the room, assuring nobody was listening before she admitted softly, “I miss my dad. Hop might not have enjoyed holiday festivities, but for some reason, I feel like his spirit would have made this night better,” she wiped beneath her eye with the edge of her sleeve, hiding her tears as she added, “but I know it’s silly. I’m not going to be sad anymore, promise.”

For a moment, Mike stayed silent. His mind processed her words repeatedly as he wished to bring back the man he had spent nearly half a year arguing with. Regardless of the hurt Hopper had caused within their relationship, he would still give anything for El to have her father back.

“It’s not silly to miss your dad,” Mike quietly enforced, pausing to peck her shoulder before he continued, “and even if you can’t see him, he’s still with you. He was a good father.”

“The best,” El whispered, her eyesight fading hazily.

Mike smiled sadly, nestling Eleven into his side as he promised, “whenever you miss Hop, just talk to me. I’m here for you.”

She was in the middle of preparing herself to speak once more when a sudden shout came from the foyer room. There was a bustle of various voices, all expressing shocked tones. 

Mike and El shared a look of furrowed brows before looking around the room, recognizing that they had been alone again for the past few moments. They quickly unwrapped themselves from one another only to interlace their hands together as they crept through the living room and into the kitchen. The sounds of voices grew louder as they got closer. The large Christmas tree’s illuminating lights blinded their view of who exactly was being surrounded by their friends and family.

It was just a few steps further into the room that Mike felt the wind knocked out of his chest. His hand gripped onto El’s harshly, begging her to see the same thing as he was. And as he felt her hand go limp, he looked over and recognized the unbelievable astonishment on her face.

A tall man sporting slight stubble and a blue flannel was blocking the entryway of the home. He appeared twenty pounds lighter and expressed the signs of exhaustion within his stance. Yet, as his eyes met his little girl’s, visible relief swept across his features.

“Kid.”

And it was then that El’s eyes rolled backward, creating a swirl of vibrant beams as she saw the strands of Christmas lights dance before her as the world faded to black.

*****

Mike’s heart was hammering hard within his chest. For a moment, he remained stunned. Only minutes ago did El wish for Hopper to join them, and here they were now, greeting the dead back to life.

He expected numerous different scenarios; however, he never thought he would watch as consciousness escaped his lover’s world. Mike could feel his throat turn raw as he screamed out her name, but his ears never registered the sounds of his own cries.

Luckily for everyone present, Mike was able to catch El in time; the moment itself reminding him of the dreaded results of the sauna test, except this was different. Eleven was laying within his lap in the middle of the floor as a man crouched down alongside of them both.

“Nice save, Wheeler,” Hop spoke casually.

Mike could physically feel his eyes bulge out of his skull as he spat, “what the hell, Hopper!? Do you have any idea how hard these past few months have been? The grief of losing you has been slowly killing El! You have no idea what she has been through—“

“Michael!” Karen interrupted in shock at her son’s outrage.

Hopper held up a hand, “it’s okay,” he paused, allowing his other hand to rest upon his daughter’s forehead as he asked, “I know I crashed Christmas, but could Mike and I have a moment alone here?”

A chorus of confirming remarks were stated before the numerous bodies shuffled out of sight. And once the three of them were left alone, Hopper took a moment to embrace where he was at. He was back where he belonged. His little girl appeared in good health and was surrounded by loving individuals, and that was all he could ask for during the time he was absent. All this time of surviving through the unbearable upside down was worth this end result. Getting to be a father to his daughter once more was simply everything to Hop.

However, he had to remember that he was not the only person that suffered without his daughter. He had no choice but to acknowledge that Mike was right. Hop could only imagine how difficult this loss was for El, and he couldn’t wait to make up for all the damage this had caused.

“Thank you for taking care of her while I was gone,” Hopper said sincerely.

Mike looked away from El for a moment and glanced to Hopper. He couldn’t help the tears that came forward as he cried, “I couldn’t even be there for her like I was supposed to. I should’ve been there more. I shouldn’t have let them move. You have no idea how hard everything has been for her,” he sniffled, absentmindedly tucking a strand of El’s hair behind her ear as he added, “I’m really happy you’re here. For her, and for everyone else too.”

Hopper allowed the boy’s words to soak into his heart for a moment before he moved. He hesitantly hugged Mike as he reiterated again, “thank you for taking care of her. I don’t know what’s happened, but I know she couldn’t have made it through all of this without you. So, thank you, Mike.”

The two that had spent all those months arguing remained sat in that loose hug for several moments, merely embracing the feeling of all tension falling apart. They hadn’t planned on pulling away, but at the sound of their angel’s voice, their bodies yanked towards one destination.

“Dad,” El gasped weakly as she attempted to sit herself forward.

Mike pressed a gentle hand against her shoulder, silently urging her to move slowly after she had fainted. He watched on in awe as her eyes glistened in such a fragile, beautiful way.

On the other hand, Hopper moved without grace as he safely tugged his little girl into a tight hug. He pulled her tighter into his arms as he felt her sob between repeatedly disclaiming in disbelief, “dad!”

A series of cries escaped the burly man’s mouth as he buried his head into Eleven’s hair. He had been fighting for survival all this time just to get to this exact moment. There was nothing else that mattered. He hadn’t lost another daughter. And he would never allow his daughter to lose him again.

“I missed you, kid,” Hopper squeezed El tightly before pulling on her hair, “and this ponytail has gotten even longer!”

Emotion wracked Mike’s chest as he watched his girlfriend’s world shift back to the way it was meant to be. He could visually witness the light return back to her soul as the piece of family that she had been missing found its way back to her. He simply was overcome with happiness, completely overjoyed to see his personal source of light find her way back to stability.

After a few moments of the father and daughter catching up, Mike was pulled back into the scenario when El stated, “if it wasn’t for Mike, I don’t think I would have been able to get through it.”

Hopper smiled genuinely, “I’m glad you have him.”

“Me too,” El beamed brightly before questioning, “does this mean we can be done with the three inch minimum rule?”

A fierce blush heated up Mike’s cheeks as Hopper glared at him. Yet, the tension defused at the sound of El’s musical laughter. Both of the men glanced at one another as they acknowledged just how much they had in common.

They would do anything for El Hopper; the light of their lives.

*****

It took a village of arms to pull Eleven away from her father. Hopper had disclaimed that he needed to speak to Joyce in order to gather an understanding about how she had been raising his daughter during his absence; and to clearly settle some unfinished Enzo’s business.

Once Hop had successfully assured Eleven that he would be returning within a short period of time, he and Joyce were on their way. In the meantime, everyone else disbanded apart, needing the night to rest after this turn in events.

El and Mike soon found themselves curled into one another beneath the makeshift fort in the basement. They had their arms wrapped tightly around each other as if they feared ever letting go. The silence and serenity that settled within the area around them nearly lulled them to sleep; but before giving into necessary rest, El whispered, “thank you for being here with me through everything. You have made these last few months bearable, and I don’t know how I could ever thank you enough for that.”

Mike tiredly smiled at the girl beside him and dropped a brief kiss onto her lips as he stated, “I would do anything for you. You are the most important thing to me in the world.”

El smiled widely at his sincere words. She bit into her bottom lip as she asked, “can I ask you for one favor?”

“You can ask me anything,” he assured strongly.

Eleven leaned towards his face and whispered, “look up.”

He followed her request and glanced upward, cheekily smiling at the sight of mistletoe that had been sloppily taped to the top of the fort. Mike’s eyes then drifted downward to admire her perfectly pouted lips and allowed gravity to slowly move him forward until he was pressed against her. With their mouths molded together, both teens felt as though their bodies could float away from sheer bliss.

Once their lips had separated, El cozily buried her face into the crook of Mike’s neck. She contently sighed before murmuring, “I love you.”

Mike wrapped his arms tightly around her middle as he sleepily promised, “I love you too, El.”

Over an hour later, well after Mike and Eleven had fallen into a deeply peaceful slumber beside one another, Joyce and Hopper ventured down to check on the two.

At the sight of the tangled teens, Joyce whispered, “aren’t they sweet?”

Hopper smiled genuinely as he absorbed the fact that his daughter was in the arms of the only person that would ever be worthy of her heart. He knew Mike would do anything for her, and that was all he needed to feel at peace.

“They really do love each other,” Hop stated aloud before giving them privacy by completely shutting the basement door, believing that the three inches were unnecessary.

The Christmas of 1985 brought about a variety of different gifts. The ultimate takeaway for each person in attendance was the most irreplaceable present that this world had to offer.

And that was the gift of unconditional love.

*****************************************

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to all that take the time to read this! Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. And if you have any requests, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram, (@ eggohopper).  
Love to all!  
\- Mel <3


End file.
